LA County Social Workers Reach Tentative Deal

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County social workers who staged a six-day strike say they’ve reached tentative agreement on a new contract that will lower their caseloads.

Friday’s announcement came two days after the strike ended. It also followed two days of renewed bargaining talks by the union representing 3,600 employees of the Department of Children and Family Services.

The workers wanted a retroactive raise and reduced caseload. They demanded the county hire hundreds of new workers.

The union says under the tentative deal, the county will hire an additional 450 social workers by next October — although officials have said they already had several hundred new workers ready to start in the next few months.